Maybe
by Heslen
Summary: Or maybe not - because there's something lovable about Tory, and we all know it.
1. Chapter 1

**This started as a drabble but it kept getting longer and longer, and now it's a fully fledged one shot. Note, one shot; I doubt this will be continued. I don't own Virals, much as we all can dream.**

Ben pulled Tory in for a long kiss, and she laughed and obliged. Hi whooped loudly, giving them a slow clap with a smirk on his face. Several birds scattered at the sudden commotion. "Do you think they'll invite us to the wedding?" Hi asked loudly. Shelton looked away awkwardly.

"That's going a bit far, don't you think?" he deadpanned, keeping his gaze anywhere but the lovebirds. Shelton turned and trudged off, leaving the rather preoccupied Tory and Ben to their privacy.

"Name your first child after me!" Hi shouted over his shoulder, then jogged heavily to catch up to Shelton. "I got a picture," he waved his phone gleefully.

Shelton glanced down at the image on Hi's iPhone and continued walking, Hi struggling at his heels.

"Hey, wait."

Shelton slowed his pace a tad to allow his friend to catch up, but he kept moving away from the bunker. "What's up? You're not even laughing!"

"I don't feel well," he lied, averting his gaze. Hi waved a hand in front of his face, fingers splayed.

"How many fingers, man?"

"Twelve. I think it's the heat."

"Maybe it's the lack of ice cream. You want a sundae?"

"Nah. I think I'll just head home."

Hi shrugged. "Suit yourself. Chocolate sauce is calling me."

"Enjoy that, Stolowitski."

"Sayonara."

"Classy."

"Jealous."

"Dope." Shelton rolled his eyes and grinned, but as they parted ways - Hi back to the bunker, Shelton towards home - his grin faded and that photograph swam to the front of his mind again. He'd only glanced briefly at it, but it was burned into his retinas - the sand burning bright gold, the sea a glittering expanse of azure, and Ben and Tory in the foreground looking blissfully... busy. Shelton's eyebrows dipped into a frown.

He reached his house and unlocked the door, pushed it closed behind him, and made a quick kitchen stop before heading up to his bedroom. Maybe Hi was right, and he needed an energy boost. Maybe Shelton had become a diabetic. Maybe he should get that checked out.

Licking his Magnum thoughtfully, Shelton sat on his bed and stared at the wall. He tried to be happy for his friends. Ben had been waiting for ... _that_... for months. Years, even. How long had it been since Tory'd come to Morris? She'd seemed pretty ecstatic back there as well. He should feel happy for them. What was _wrong_ with him today?

Shelton shook his head, finished his ice cream, and booted CoD to distract himself, but it was no use. He just couldn't manage to play properly when Tory kept popping into his mind. Shelton gave up after twenty minutes of trying, rubbing his forehead. His mind jumped randomly to a memory of Tory bursting into a run in front of him, her vibrant ponytail bouncing across her shoulders.

_Why?_

An answer came to mind, but Shelton dismissed the idea as ridiculous. Tory was _pack._ His sister, as much as anyone ever could be. So why now did he keep remembering the precise shade of her gorgeous eyes, even as he made a conscious effort to think about something else?

Shelton snorted quietly. _Gorgeous eyes._ He was just as bad as the girls at Bolton, blabbering high-pitchedly over Chance Claybourne's cheekbones, or eyebrows, or whatever it was.

Shelton couldn't help remembering Tory in her stunning cotillion dress, how she'd taken his breath away with her shy smile. Admittedly, she was pretty damn hot in her usual casual getup, but the dress had made even Hi remark on her appearance before Tory had reached hearing distance.

Shelton shook his head, wiping the smile off of his face. No. _Pack._ Tory was nothing to him but best friend, no matter how much that nagging voice in his brain said otherwise.

And, now that Shelton had acknowledged the voice, it doubled in volume, drowning out all rational thought.

So, fine then. Maybe he did like Tory as more than a friend. Maybe he was jealous of Ben - a lot - but it was surely just a crush. It would pass, and in the meantime, Shelton wasn't so selfish (or reckless, or stupid) as to get in the way of Tory and Ben.

_Teenagers get crushes all the time, _Shelton told himself. _You'll get over it. _Probably. Hopefully.

Maybe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Damn, you people are so persuasive. I planned for my little Sheltoria dust-bunny to be a 150 word drabble. Now it's turning into a two-shot. What have you done? STOP REVIEWING (all joking aside, thank you all so much for your persuasion powers and your kindness in taking the time to inflate my ego - that's you VIA!). In all seriousness, my reviewers and followers and favouriters, you all amaze me, thank you very much. I own Virals, I am Kathy Reichs, and I have nothing better to do that sit here writing fanfiction for a ship that never really existed. Of course. Who else would I be?**

* * *

Shelton rubbed wearily at his eyes, pushing his glasses higher up on his nose. He leant his head against the cool glass of his window, gazing glumly out into the dwindling evening.

He just wanted this day to be _over._ And he hadn't even made it to dinner yet.

The sizzling of stir-fry in a pan carried through the house. Shelton could hear the hot oil even while not flaring, smell the frying meat even without Tory's nose.

And _there_ it was. Lately Shelton couldn't even make it a few seconds without thinking her name. Unwillingly, her curious eyes and flaming hair swam into his mind and Shelton shook his head to clear it, nearly losing his specs in the process.

_Get a grip, Devers. She's only a _girl_._

One of the few, coincidentally, that Shelton spoke to on a regular basis. Aside from his mother, and mothers didn't count. Unless you didn't have one, in which case they would matter rather a lot more. His mind drifted to Tory again.

Dammit! Shelton jumped from his chair and paced angrily across the room. This needed to stop. Shelton hadn't even tried to talk to Tory about his rapidly developing feelings. She was with Ben now, finally, and he wouldn't ruin that for either of his friends - although, Hi would probably get a kick out of it. No - Shelton had to get over whatever insane crush this was, and forget about it, leaving everyone none the wiser. It would be the easiest, simplest way for everybody.

But forgetting about Tory was impossible, especially when she was one of his best friends. Also she was pretty unforgettable. Shelton winced at the cheesiness of the thought, but it was true. Girls like her made a lasting impression.

Lorelei called Shelton and Nelson for dinner, and Shelton strode downstairs. _Finally._ After dinner was over and done with, he could go to sleep and try not to think for a solid eight hours. First, though, he'd have to make it through dinner. Shelton really wasn't hungry, and he found himself pushing fried vegetables around his plate for half an hour while Nelson wolfed down seconds and Lorelei watched her son in concern, picking delicately at her own stir fry.

Shelton drained a glass of water and excused himself to escape upstairs. He took a shower and climbed into his bed, switching off the bedside light. His mind wandered before returning to a certain redhead. At this rate, he'd never get to sleep.

As it turned out, Shelton was a pretty accurate prophet - he lay awake for more than three hours while Tory's laugh rang in his ears and she kissed Ben over and over on the back of his eyelids, before Shelton gave in and took a sleeping tablet or two. Drowsiness came easier that way. Still, as Shelton finally relaxed into sleep, he found he couldn't hide from his dreams.

...

Saturday morning dawned bright and early, and under the effects of the sleeping pill he'd taken the night before, Shelton managed to ignore it for two entire hours past his usual wakeup time. He just hoped he wasn't turning into Hiram. And his parents were growing worried at his unusual behaviour - Shelton needed to get back to normal. But how, when he could think of nothing but Tory Brennan?

This was getting _ridiculous._ Surely she wasn't that pretty. Well... maybe. But why did it matter? Shelton had lost his chance with her, if he'd ever had one to begin with, and he shouldn't want one so badly. He scoffed at himself internally and changed from his pyjamas, then marched downstairs to find something for breakfast. He took an apple and a piece of buttery toast, then grabbed his chemistry assignment and his English homework from his room and decided to walk to the bunker.

It was a nice, peaceful, mindless walk, and Shelton enjoyed it thoroughly despite the burning sun beating down on him, and the glare reflecting off the water. As he drew nearer to the bunker, he heard voices. Indistinct, but three separate voices, one female.

Of course they would be here. Just when he needed peace and quiet.

Shelton considered turning back, but decided against it. He needed shade, or he might die of sunstroke. Maybe.

Plus, he kind of wanted to see Tory.

Somewhat reluctantly, he made his way forward. Took a moment to compose himself before striding into the welcoming shade of the bunker. "Did I miss the memo?"

"What do you mean? We always meet here on a Sunday," Tory reminded him. She was crouched next to Cooper, who lolled lazily on the floor while she rubbed his tummy. Ben was reading through a Spanish vocab sheet, and Hi was messing around on his phone.

Shelton took a seat at the rickety table and spread out his English homework, putting off the chemistry report as long as possible. He stared blankly at the chapter analysis, putting all his efforts into keeping his eyes away from Tory.

He couldn't resist, though. Shelton attempted to distract himself by doodling randomly, but the shapeless swirls began to form her name. He scribbled out the doodles and tried to concentrate on the English.

He only got through a few questions before Hi put away his phone and dumped his chem on the table. Shelton shuffled over to give his friend some room.

"Since you're doing that, I may as well," sighed Shelton, nodding to Hi's science assignment. The two of them started work on the scientific report, and for a while Shelton was pleased with how productive they were being. That was until Hiram caught sight of the doodles that he hadn't fully been able to hide. Shelton could see Hi reading the letters upside down. Casually, too casually, he hid the offending ink markings with his elbow.

Shelton's heart skipped a beat as Hi's eyebrows raised. If Hi realised Shelton had a crush on their best friend, he'd never hear the end of it - plus Ben would find out, and Ben would kill him. Best just to keep it quiet until it was all over.

But that meant Hi wasn't allowed to know.

Tory's phone rang, and she argued with her dad for a moment or two, then announced: "I have to go. Dearest Whit's just arrived on the scene."

Ben jumped up to escort her out, like a good boyfriend should. Shelton tried not to watch when he slung an arm around her waist like it was the most casual thing in the world. He felt his ears burn red.

Hi watched them go, calling out suggestive comments. Ben told him to shut up as he left the bunker. Shelton tugged hard on his earlobes. This shouldn't be bothering him so much.

Hi turned back to Shelton. "What's up with you?"

_I think I'm in love with Tory. _"Nothing."

Hi gave him a searching look. "Sure, man?"

_Of course not._ "Yeah."

"Huh." Hi turned back to his assignment, then looked up again, throwing his pen onto the table. "And why do you have 'Victoria' scribbled on your English homework?"

* * *

**There. I'm leaving it open. Guess I have room for a three-shot after all. **

**I've been thinking of writing a one-shot that leaves room for follow-up chapters, but can stand alone, so that if I spontaneously stop writing for a while, it won't be too painful for my readers.  
The topic of this alleged one-shot would be, and I haven't thought of a title or plot, just the topic, 'what if Colleen and Kit kept seeing each other after the sailing camp at Cape Cod?' So for instance, they meet when they're a little younger, and rather than... launching right into it, they decide to keep seeing each other, it turns into a real relationship, and they get married? Would anyone be interested to delve into the possibilities with that kind of story? I feel like it could be explored a lot more, and I've never seen a fanfiction on that topic. The only thing I'd be worried about is changing Tory's last name to Howard.**

**Shoot me a PM or leave a review if you'd be interested in a story like that. Thanks.**


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